Lighting systems utilizing LEDs are widely used in various applications including, but not limited to, hazardous area lighting, general indoor and outdoor lighting, and backlighting. Lighting systems utilizing LEDs are a longer lasting, more efficient alternative to using lighting systems utilizing conventional light sources such as incandescent lamps and fluorescent light sources. However, the implementation of LED-based lighting systems has been hindered by the amount of heat build-up within the lighting assembly. Heat build-up within the lighting assembly can reduce light output of the LEDs and shorten the lifespan of the LEDs, thus potentially causing the LEDs to fail prematurely.
Heat sinks are typically used in LED-based lighting systems. The heat sinks provide a pathway for absorbing the heat generated from LEDs in the lighting assembly, and for dissipating the heat directly or radiantly to the surrounding environment. However, conventional LED-based lighting systems employing heat sinks typically have poor heat transfer between the LEDs and the heat sink, and/or the heat drawn away from the LEDs is transferred to other heat sensitive components, such as drivers in the assembly.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for lighting assemblies having controlled directional heat transfer.